Bombers attack guesthouse in Afghanistan, killing a girl

Four bombers have attacked a guesthouse frequented by foreigners in an upscale neighborhood of the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing a child girl and injuring a guard.

Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said during the attack on Friday afternoon, three of the attackers died and the fourth was still resisting inside the office building.

The militants armed with rifles and hand grenades made their way into the guesthouse after a bomber detonated his explosive-laden car in front of the building.

A gun battle quickly erupted after military forces were dispatched to secure the neighborhood located in southern Kabul.

Police have managed to escort a number of foreign nationals out of the area, though six foreigners are reportedly still trapped inside the building.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying insurgents attacked a “guest house of foreigners and a church of foreigners.”

Kabul has been on high alert ahead of next week’s presidential election, with Taliban militants often carrying out similar attacks on security forces and civilian targets.

On Tuesday, at least 16 people were killed and about 40 others injured in three separate attacks in the war-torn country.

In the capital city of Kabul, Taliban militants attacked the election commission office, killing four people and injuring several others.

All of the candidates have been given armored vehicles and security guards.

Ten candidates are running for the presidential vote in which a successor to President Hamid Karzai will be chosen.

Violence in Afghanistan has been on the rise in recent years, despite the prolonged presence of foreign forces in the war-torn country since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.